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Children's Mercy recognized as leader in pediatric research

Hospital earns accreditation from Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs

The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs announced that it has accredited six more research organizations, including Children's Mercy Kansas City. To earn AAHRPP accreditation, organizations must demonstrate that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation and that they adhere to high standards for protecting research participants.

In today's global, collaborative research enterprise, organizations increasingly rely on AAHRPP accreditation status to help identify trusted research partners. Two other U.S. organizations, a hospital in China and two in Belgium (the first to be accredited in Europe) also are among the latest to earn AAHRPP accreditation.

"AAHRPP accreditation shows our patients, families, and the Kansas City community at large that we are committed to providing top-notch protections to our research participants," said Ryan McDowell, Director of the Office of Research Integrity at Children's Mercy. "This news represents an extremely validating culmination of years of hard work and preparation that required teamwork from all across the institution. As Children's Mercy continues to grow as a national leader in pediatric research, our patients and families can rest assured that we will always strive to meet the highest of ethical standards."

The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

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"These latest accreditations expand AAHRPP's influence in yet another key market for clinical research," AAHRPP President and CEO Elyse I. Summers said. "With accredited organizations in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, we are strengthening protections for research participants around the globe and across all sectors of the research enterprise."

To date, AAHRPP has accredited more than 215 organizations in 46 states, Belgium, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. All major U.S. independent institutional review boards have earned AAHRPP accreditation. In addition, more than 60 percent of U.S. research-intensive universities and over 65 percent of U.S. medical schools are either AAHRPP accredited or have begun the accreditation process. The National Institutes of Health, the world's largest public funder of research, has earned accreditation, as has Pfizer, Inc., the largest industry sponsor of clinical research.